Namiki Gohei I's drama "Godairiki Koi no FŻjime" was premiered in the 5th lunar month of 1794 in KyŰto at the Nishi no Shibai [casting].
Historically-speaking, it can be considered as the premiere of "Godairiki Koi no FŻjime" but Namiki Gohei I's drama "Shima Meguri Uso no Kikigaki",
which was staged in the 2nd lunar month of 1794 at the Naka no Shibai, contained most of "Godairiki Koi no FŻjime" scenes in its second part [casting].
"Godairiki Koi no FŻjime" was staged for the first time in Edo, at the Miyakoza in the 1st lunar month of 1795 [casting].
It was changed to an Edo drama: Katsuma GengobÍ became Satsuma GengobÍ,
Kikuno was renamed Koman and the pleasures district of Kita-Shinchi in ‘saka was replaced
by the kuruwa of Susaki in Edo.
It was a successful 120-day long run.

Structure

"Godairiki Koi no FŻjime" is made up of 6 or 7 scenes (depending on the production).
Kamigata actors always perform the Kamigata version of "Godairiki Koi no FŻjime",
which has a slightly different structure.

The hero of the play, Satsuma GengobÍ, a samurai to the core, is deeply in love with
Koman, a geisha so swept off her feet by his manly spirit that she cuts off her little finger
as a pledge of her affections. Resentful of their relationship, the evil samurai, Sasano Sangobei,
who at one time had made advances of his own to Koman, tricks her into writing a letter pretending to sever
her relationship with GengobÍ. Although GengobÍ trusts Koman, he becomes convinced she is
unfaithful when he notices that the word godairiki which, out of deep feeling for him,
she once had written on her shamisen has been rewritten to look like a similar pledge to Sangobei.
(The three characters godairiki were a pledge of fidelity when written by
a geisha on her shamisen or on sealed edge of
a letter sent to a person she loved). Knowing nothing of the trick played on Koman,
GengobÍ kills her. later, learning of her innocence from a note she has left behind,
he kills Sangobei and also recovers the heirloom Sangobei had stolen from their master's household,
thus avenging not only the woman he loved but his master's family as well.

One possible translation of "Godairiki Koi no FŻjime" in English is "Five Great Powers That Secure Love".Source: Kabuki Plays On Stage (Volume II: Villainy and Vengeance: 1770-1800), edited by James R. Brandon and Samuel L. Leiter